A 47-year-old Minnesota man is accused of stabbing his father to death in his home earlier this week, then driving drunk off the road and attempting to hitch a ride away from the scene before turning himself in.
Troy Blaine Almhjeld was arrested on Tuesday and charged with one count of second-degree murder in the bizarre death of 71-year-old Blaine Lars Almhjeld, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office, at around 2:11 a.m. on June 3, 2025, deputies and state troopers responded to a 911 call about an abandoned vehicle just off the roadway on Highway 22 South near the Terrace View Gold Course, about 80 miles southwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The 911 caller informed the emergency dispatcher that the driver of the abandoned vehicle, later identified as Troy Almhjeld, drove off the road and requested a ride before walking north on Highway 22. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, a witness told police that Troy Almhjeld appeared intoxicated.
First responders searched the area but were unable to find him.
Investigators checked the vehicle and discovered that it was registered to Blaine Almhjeld. Authorities responded to the 71-year-old man’s home on the 200 block of Silver Street West in Mapleton, Minnesota.
Blaine Almhjeld was found inside the home with “obvious signs of trauma” and multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police soon discovered that the victim lived with his son, prompting them to launch a search for Troy Almhjeld.
As authorities continued to search for Troy Almhjeld on Highway 22, he allegedly emerged from the woods near the golf course and “approached deputies” conducting the search.
He was arrested right away and charged with the murder of his father after it was determined that he lived with him.
Court documents obtained by St. Paul ABC affiliate KSTP revealed additional details about the alleged patricide.
According to the report, when deputies arrived at the victim’s house, the door was open and they could see a body inside. Blaine Almhjeld was reportedly covered in blood, with multiple puncture wounds, a large laceration across his chest, and visible head trauma, among other injuries.
Authorities discovered a blood-stained kitchen knife inside the home that appeared to match Blaine Almhjeld’s puncture wounds.
Troy Almhjeld emerged from the woods, claiming he had just been run off the road and into the river by another driver, and that he had been in the water until recently, according to the Tribune.
He then asked how his father was doing, mentioning that the two had argued earlier that evening.
“All kinds of weird s— was going on,” he allegedly said, according to KSTP. “Bad s—. And he refuses to tell me what’s going on.
Almhjeld is currently in custody and is set to appear in court on Thursday.
